Kingdom of Time
by ChuckleBunny
Summary: Aika told her father she didn't believe his stories about a "Keyblade Master." But when she survives the night that consumes everything she loves, she begins to regret her words. Aika finds herself travelling through space and time to get it all back. OC.
1. Standardized Testing and a Crazy Idea

**Hey guys! I'm back! This time, with my first ever, never before seen, considered incredibly impossible until now, multi-chapter fanfic! Subject: Kingdom Hearts of course. The three people in this chapter are all my OCs. Thanks so much to djp0546 for betaing! Please enjoy!**

* * *

The sun was high in the clear blue sky. The seemingly never-ending ocean stretched out under it, reflecting the calming color of its inverted counterpart. A soft breeze fluttered the leaves of the palm trees. Waves rolled through the waters and landed on the sandy beach. Seagulls called to each other, dove for food, and flew to their nests to feed their young.

Somewhere in town, a school bell rang over the sounds of the sea, breaking the peaceful silence. Children poured out of the front doors of the school, swinging their backpacks and joining with their friends. Laughter mixed with words as the students went home early for the day.

Two girls walked along a beaten path with other students as they made their way home. Slowly, the other children found their porches and settled into their homes. The girls kept walking until they reached the tree that they rested under everyday since the day they started school. Leaning against the tree, they sighed with relief in the comfortable breeze.

"I love testing weeks," sighed one girl.

"Says you," the other replied.

"Just because you try too hard on state tests, Aika," the first laughed.

"Well you don't try hard enough, Maiki," Aika tossed back.

They laughed at each other's jokes, but agreed that testing week was definitely wonderful, despite having to sit in the same room for four hours at a time, taking test after test to make sure they knew what the state wanted them to know. But hey, they got to go home early.

They waited for another while, until Maiki let out a huff of frustration.

"Where is that boy?" she puffed.

Suddenly, the wind carried over a faint voice. Then, a head and body appeared over the hill.

"Well, speak of the devil," laughed Aika, "Here he comes."

Sure enough, a panting boy stopped in front of the girls and leaned against the tree, dropping to the ground and shutting his eyes.

"Geez, Kory, you took so long!" huffed Maiki.

"How much work can they make you do?" asked Aika.

"Give a man a second to breathe," gasped Kory.

"What kind of man keeps two beautiful girls waiting?" demanded Maiki, looming over Kory dangerously. He shrank back slightly in fear.

"For your info," he answered," student council kept us in longer than usual today because the president came late. He wouldn't let us go until he finished all the notes and announcements."

"Mmhmm…" Maiki raised her eyebrows in disbelief and smirked. She picked up her schoolbag and ran down the sloping hill. She stopped at the bottom, turned around to the two left behind, and yelled, "Meet up on the beach. Usual spot!" She then turned on her heel and ran toward home. Aika and Kory sighed.

"Ah, Maiki," they said together. Kory turned to Aika. "I'll walk you home," he said. Aika bent down to pick up her schoolbag.

"We should hurry," she said, nodding in Maiki's direction, "we wouldn't want Miss Moody to bite our heads off if we're late." Kory laughed as he started down the road.

* * *

They were getting close to their houses by now. It was different without Maiki's chatter amongst them. Aika and Kory took in the quiet time and talked about the usual: school, teachers, the island, and the upcoming blitzball game. They even made a bet on whether the school team would lose or not. They finally stopped by Aika's front gate.

"Hey," Kory said, as Aika turned into the fence, "I got something to tell you."

"Yeah?" asked Aika, with a hand on the gate. Kory looked around. He had a strange look on his face, like he was slightly uncomfortable.

"You okay?" questioned Aika.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Kory. He looked down the road into the distance, and then put down his head and threw an arm up as if dismissing something. "I was gonna tell you something, but I guess I'll just tell you later."

Aika took her hand off the gate. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, looking at his face for signs of any health problems.

"You can stop asking me that 'cuz I'm fine," said Kory, again turning his attention down the road into the horizon. Aika opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. Another breeze drifted through them. Palm trees swayed above the houses on the road.

"You're a little off today," noted Aika.

"I've been like that recently," answered Kory.

"You sure you don't want to just come inside and see if we have anything to perk you up? I mean if-"

"No, really it's fine, I'm okay," interrupted Kory, "I'll just go home and prepare and change and stuff." He put his schoolbag over his shoulder. "I'll come pick you up later."

"You know I could just go to your house; it's just down the ro-"

"Aika," Kory interjected again, this time holding up a hand, "It's okay. I'll come get you." Aika nodded and laughed, accepting defeat and walked into her house.

* * *

"I'm home," called Aika as she walked in the front door. She found her parents in the kitchen, her father drinking tea at the table and her mother boiling water for some more. They seemed to have just finished a pleasant conversation. Aika loved how they got along so well.

"Welcome home," they called back.

"How were your tests?" her mother asked as Aika kissed her on the cheek.

"Fine as usual," Aika answered, "there really is no need to worry about these things." Her mother smiled. Aika loved that smile. It was sweet and warm and added to her charm. She was a beautiful person, with her long auburn hair and incredibly blue eyes. Aika was often told that she had inherited her mother's looks.

"That's my girl," her father laughed. Aika joined in as she went over to kiss her father as well. Her father always had a joyous aura about him that made everyone loosen up and laugh. And the twinkle in his eyes whenever he was happy or joking always made her smile. Aika especially loved his hair. The hair that refused to stay down no matter how much water or hair gel was used to tame it. It was so ridiculous that she often thought that he secretly and ironically put hair gel in it in order to keep it up like that. Though Aika's hair looked like her mother's, she had the same hair color as her father's; it also stuck out in some parts. Aika started to make her way out of the kitchen. "I'm going to the beach with Kory and Maiki," she said as she neared the stairs.

"Okay," her father said, "just be home before dark, all right?"

"Daddy, I'm always home before dark," sighed Aika.

"Well, you never know what could be lurking in the shadows."

"You're crazy, Dad," laughed Aika as she rolled her eyes and went up the stairs to her room.

* * *

By the time Aika ran out of her house with a yellow tank top and a skirt, Kory was leaning against her gate with his back facing the house. She walked up to him.

"Shall we go now?" she asked. Kory turned to look at her and nodded, smiling. He opened her gate and they set off down the road. From the way he was acting, Aika thought it was as if the little incident in front of her house had never happened. Kory seemed to be relaxed and looked healthy. He longer seemed strange.

Now that she thought about it, everything seemed to be acting strange. For one thing, weather patterns of the island were deviating from their normal courses. There were less seagulls flying and zooming through the air and the ocean seemed to be holding back its usually temperamental waves. The people of the town had quieted down too, as if a big blanket had been thrown over the whole area. Weirdly enough, even Aika's parents had a slightly tense air about them as they looked out the window toward the ocean and constantly worried about Aika's whereabouts. But for now, all Aika had on her mind was how to spend the rest of her glorious not-having-that-much-school week.

Aika and Kory neared the beach. They had stopped by Maiki's house, but her mother said she had already gone, and pointed in the direction of the beach. Aika looked over at Kory as they walked. What could he have wanted to tell her that he wouldn't say in front of Maiki? And why did he end up not telling her? It wasn't as if they kept secrets from each other. Aika had known Kory almost as long as she knew Maiki. As she pondered, she felt Kory's arm brush against hers ever so slightly. This unnoticed movement by Kory sent strange shivers up Aika's spine. Suddenly, she realized what that feeling was every time she saw him walking her way. That feeling that always exploded in her chest when he spoke.

"Kory," she almost yelled, "I-"

"KEEEEEEEEEEYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

They had reached the Usual Spot. Maiki had jumped out of nowhere with a wooden sword and whacked Kory over the head with it. She stood over Kory's fallen body with one foot on his stomach and her arms in the air in victory. Aika chuckled and shook her head, forgetting about what she was going to say.

"Looks like those fighting lessons didn't help you," Maiki taunted to Kory. She took her foot off his abdomen and turned to Aika.

"I'm so glad your dad gave us these," she said, holding out the wooden sword, "And the lessons," she added. Aika laughed again. Her father had insisted teaching the kids self defense with wooden swords. "Just in case," he always said.

"I love the lessons," Maiki repeated, "they come in handy."

"I love the stories he tells us after the lessons," joined in Kory when he got up. Aika's smile faded.

"Yeah, they're so fun to listen to," giggled Maiki.

"He's always talking about traveling through space and time!"

"And visiting worlds!"

"And meeting tons of people!"

"We should do that!"

"Yeah, let's go! Let's make a raft and go!"

"Are you guys serious?" Aika yelled. Kory and Maiki stopped in their tracks. Aika's arms were tight by her side, hands balled into fists. She continued to rant. "Come on you guys, think about it! How can you travel through space and time like that? Not only is that unadvised without proper equipment and years of training, but there's also no way we can get off this island on a stupid little raft." She threw her arms up in the air and gave them looks, the that's-an-obviously-stupid-concept look. Kory and Maiki glanced at each other.

"Aika, calm down," Maiki reasoned. "We were joking. We always do."

Aika plopped down onto the sand, arms crossed and facing the ocean, away from her crazy friends.

"It's not funny," she huffed. Silence followed. Aika wasn't always a moody person, except for when it came to abstract topics, like time travel and other supernaturally impossible things. Since that was her only peeve, she was always easily forgiven. Kory walked over and sat down beside her. Maiki stood by Aika's side. Both friends hoped to calm her down from her frenzied outburst.

The three sat in silence as they listened to nature's music. The waves sent gentle sounds throughout the air, and seagulls added to the calming soundtrack. The tense atmosphere around Aika soon died away. Then, Maiki spoke.

"Hey," she said, "remind me why we have never gone to that island before." She pointed to a small island about less than a mile offshore.

"I don't really know," answered Kory. "I guess it just never crossed our minds." It was true. The island had always been there, and the teens had always had the ability and the transportation to get there, but for some reason, the idea of taking a trip never occurred to them.

"Well, pack your bags, lady and gentleman," Maiki announced, "'cuz we're going to that island tomorrow!" She waved her arms in a grand flourish as she twirled around in a circle. Aika and Kory looked at each other.

"…Maiki, you are so weird."

* * *

**I really sincerely hope you guys can guess who Aika's parents are ;)**


	2. Old Treasures and Secret Places

When they finally got to the island, Kory and Aika were drenched with sweat. Maiki had insisted that they do the paddling, since her greatest skill was moral support. She allowed them to stop only once to let them relentlessly splash their faces with cool ocean water.

With the boat tied to a dock they had found, the teens reached the sand and surveyed their surroundings. The island definitely looked like it hadn't been visited in years. There were tons of plants growing everywhere on the different levels of the island and only the footprints of seagulls and other animals tracked the sand. But there were signs that children had once been at play here.

"Oh, look at that!" Maiki cried, pointing to the gigantic tree that took up most of the island. There were steps circling the tree leading up to a treehouse near the top. There was also a platform at the beginning of the stairs between two trees overlooking the ocean. Everything looked pretty old.

Maiki pointed at something else. It was a shack on the same level as the beach. "Let's look in there!" Maiki ran over to the door. She was trying to open it when Aika and Kory caught up. "Stupid door," she huffed when it wouldn't open. Kory went up to it.

"It's pretty old," he said, "but maybe I can try breaking it."

"Go, Kory, go!" cheered Maiki. In a few shoulder hits and a couple of kicks, the old door loosened from its tight hold on its structure and weakly swung inward. The three teens eagerly rushed inside to find…nothing much.

"How exciting," Aika mused sarcastically as she looked around the musty inside of the shack. There was an old net and some rope, all covered in mold and dust. "Wait," she suddenly said, "look over there." She pointed to stairs on the other side of the shack. The three scrambled up the stairs and crashed through another door that was surprisingly weaker than the previous one. They were met with the ocean again, but on a higher level. There was also a bridge that led to a tiny islet on the water.

"This is so cool!" yelled Maiki as she ran toward the bridge.

"Wait a second!" Aika called.

"What is it?" Maiki sighed as she turned around.

"The bridge doesn't look safe," Aika noted.

"She's making sense," Kory added. "Most of the stuff on the island is made of wood. It rots pretty quickly since it's near water."

"Stop worrying you guys, it's just a bridge," Maiki dismissed, heading for the green-covered bridge.

"Maiki, please," begged Aika, "it could be dangerous."

"You could fall through," admonished Kory.

"I can't believe you guys!" Maiki yelled. "It's a stupid bridge! How else am I supposed to get to the other side?"

"We'll find another way," assured Kory.

"Forget you two," declared Maiki, waving a hand and running her first steps across the bridge. "Hey look I'm fine!" she called in a mocking tone, then she laughed. "You guys are such wim–"

"MAIKI, NO!"

Screams filled the air as splinters flew everywhere.

"OH MY GOD, MAIKI!" Aika ran toward the bridge, but felt something catch her arm.

"You'll fall down, too!" Kory cried. Aika wrenched her arm out of his grip and ran toward the edge of their level and jumped off. Luckily, it wasn't that high and the sand softened her fall. But Maiki surely had it worse. Aika ran toward the water below the bridge just as Kory jumped off his level to follow her. They splashed through the water desperately trying to get to their friend.

"Maiki! Maiki, are you okay?" Maiki had landed face up in the water, but she wasn't moving.

"Come on, Mai, wake up!" Kory yelled as he ran to her side. Aika laid Maiki's head on her lap and put the side of her face near her nose.

"Thank god she's still breathing," Aika sighed. "Maiki, wake up! It's us, Aika and Kory! Please wake up!"

"She doesn't seem to have broken anything," reported Kory as he inspected Maiki's limbs. "She's probably unconscious because of the impact."

"Oh, Maiki, please," whispered Aika as she hugged Maiki to her. Kory put his arms around the both of them. Tears began to form in Aika's eyes. If anything happened to Maiki, she and Kory would never forgive themselves. This could've been prevented. They could have stopped Maiki, even if it meant pinning her to the ground. Something should've been done. But it was too late.

Suddenly, they heard a moan.

"Maiki!" shrieked Aika. "Mai, can you hear me?"

"Stop yelling so loud," groaned Maiki. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She looked confused for a second. "Where am I?" she asked.

"Under the bridge," pointed Kory accusingly, "where you ended up because you didn't listen to us!"

"Oh, be quiet," growled Maiki, "I'm fine aren't I?" She started to get up. Suddenly, she fell and grabbed Aika's arm, crying in pain.

"What's wrong?" asked Aika, catching her.

"My ankle," Maiki managed, wincing and holding her foot.

"You must've sprained it or something," Kory said, getting a closer look. "Let's get you to shore."

The trio trudged up to the beach, dragging each other along and fearing the worst if they happened to let go. They reached dry land and collapsed onto the sand.

"You're heavy," Aika moaned.

"No one asked you to carry me," panted Maiki.

"Then walk on your own."

"Oh, shut up."

They lay on the beach, tired and exhausted from their terrifying experience. They all closed their eyes and let the sun dry off their soaked clothes and the waves soothe their panicked minds.

Maiki tried again to stand on her foot. Although she didn't mention any pain, she couldn't manage to keep her weight on it without falling over. Yet, she refused to go back home to get it checked.

"We're already here," she argued, "might as well make something of it!"

There was no changing Maiki's mind, so the three of them settled on sitting by a waterfall spring Kory had found right behind the shack. It was a good way to treat Maiki's swollen ankle. Aika was ready to put her feet in the spring as well when she noticed something.

"Hey, do you guys see that?" She pointed to a bunch of tree branches hanging on the wall of rock next to them.

"What about it?" Maiki asked. There was nothing too special about branches.

"No, look closer," Aika urged. She got up and walked to the leaves. She pushed them aside to reveal a small tunnel.

"Hey, that's cool!" Maiki exclaimed. Kory yelled in triumph.

"Looks like we found something!" he shouted.

"I'll go check it out," Aika said. Kory started to get up. "You stay with Maiki," she ordered and turned toward the tunnel. She crouched down and crawled into the darkness.

It was a little while before Aika's eyes adjusted to the sudden change of light. Still, she couldn't see much in the small crawlspace. She patted around the ground. Dirt, dirt, and more dirt. She moved to the walls. Rock, rock, and to no surprise, rock. As her eyes adjusted more, she could see a tiny hint of light at the end of the tunnel. She crouched and inched along the dirt passage, feeling the rock walls for guidance. The light got brighter and brighter until Aika almost tripped into an open area. She steadied herself and stood up.

By now she could fully see everything. The sun shone through cracks between the stone walls, bathing them in a golden light. The place looked like a little hideout. There were sporadically cleared spaces to sit, and there were drawings and scribbles all over the walls. Aika walked up to a wall to get a closer look. The pictures seemed as old as the rest of the manmade structures on the island. She backed up to see the whole hideout again. It was comfortable and warm, the perfect place for shelter and a hangout.

Suddenly, Aika heard footsteps. She turned around but saw nobody in the passage leading to the hideout. She turned around again, looking for signs of anything or anybody, her heart pounding rapidly with fear and anticipation. Her eyes hurriedly scanned the empty area in front of her.

"BOO!"

Aika screamed bloody, bloody murder as hands grabbed her shoulders from behind. She was still screaming when she heard laughter. Aika slowly turned around to find Kory roaring with laughter.

"Oh my god, Kory, you freak!" she yelled, slapping his arm.

"I wish I could've seen your face," Kory managed between laughs. He clutched his stomach and backed into a rock for support.

"That was so not cool!" cried Aika, stamping her feet and balling her hands into fists. Kory kept on laughing. Aika huffed her breath and crossed her arms. She made her way to the passageway out of the hideout.

"Wait, wait," panted Kory, still laughing a little, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, hahaha…"

"Whatever, Kory," said Aika, not looking behind her. All of a sudden, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. A strange wind blew into the cave.

"Did you feel that?" she asked, looking around and her voice urgent.

"Feel what?" Kory said, finally recovering from his laughter.

"That wind," stated Aika. She looked to the direction the wind blew. She saw a lone door on the opposite wall. It was a wooden door, standing as if it had always been there. It wasn't covered in moss or mold like the other wooden structures she saw.

"Where did that door come from?" Aika asked Kory. He looked over.

"Wasn't it always there?" He asked back. He walked past Aika to the exit. "I think I scared you way too much. Listen, I came to get you because I really thought Maiki should go see a doctor. Her foot's getting weird. Let's go home before anything else happens." He looked at her face, trying to get her attention. "And you're starting to freak me out with that look." Aika's face had paled and she looked lost and confused.

"Huh?" she said, not looking away from the door.

"Never mind," Kory said, taking her arm, "Let's go."

* * *

**A/N: W00t chapter 2! Yes, these first few chapters will star my own OC's. No flaming please. So today I got my wisdom tooth out, so my drugged-up self might not sound very brilliant in this note. Yeah, please read and review. Sorry this is so short. I have another very very much longer chapter written that I'll post later.**


	3. That Fateful Night

Convincing Maiki to sit in the emergency room was much harder than paddling to the island. She kept insisting she didn't need medical treatment and assured the nurses that she was fine. Finally, Kory sharply tapped Maiki's ankle, which brought tears to her eyes. That definitely shut her up.

Maiki's mother wasn't too happy either. When Kory and Aika recounted what happened to Maiki, her mother gave her a huge lecture on listening. If Maiki wasn't going to listen to her own mother, then she should at least listen to the sound judgment of her friends.

It was eventually deemed that Maiki had a broken ankle. She had to stay in the hospital so the doctors could monitor her because she also sported a sprained ankle and a multitude of cuts. Leave it to Maiki to make herself worse for wear.

Aika and Kory stayed with Maiki until visiting hours were over. Then, Maiki's mother ushered them out, claiming that letting them go home and rest was the best thanks she could give them for taking such great care of her daughter.

* * *

The lingering sunset casted a lovely dark orange glow over Destiny Islands. Aika and Kory walked along the beaten path that led to their houses. They said hello to the neighbors that sat on their porches to enjoy the last rays of the day.

"So much for our adventure," sighed Kory as the two left the more congested residential areas. He put his hands behind his head and let out another great sigh.

"Yeah, well, you couldn't expect much out of it," Aika half laughed, half sighed as well. There was a short silence.

"You ever want to just, you know, get out of here?" Kory asked. Aika looked over to him.

"What do you mean?" Kory sighed.

"I know you don't like it, but I want to get off this island. The way the Keyblade Master did." Aika stopped walking and stared. "Don't look at me like that, Aika," he warned. "You know I'm right when I say there's nothing to do here. Nothing ever changes."

"K-kory," Aika stammered, "Something will happen, I, I promise." But Kory laughed.

"Ten years from now, you'll be telling me that same thing, in this same place, at this same time. We are static people, Aika. We're not gonna get anywhere. I'm sick of wondering if there's anything more to life than an ocean and a bunch of palm trees." He looked away from her, fists and jaw clenched in his frustration. Aika reached out for him just as a wind rolled through, emphasizing the painful silence. Just when she was about to touch him, Kory turned away and kept walking, hands in his pockets.

"Sorry if I scared you," Aika could barely make out his words over the palm leaves shaking in the wind.

* * *

Aika trudged through the front door and into the kitchen. She plopped down into a chair and sprawled her upper body onto the table, letting out a great sigh. So much had happened today…

"Aika?" she heard her mother from the living room. "You home?" Aika's mother entered the kitchen, followed by her father.

"You okay, sweetie?" she asked as she took out a small packet from the pantry.

"Mmhmm," replied Aika, although she wasn't too sure. Her mother filled a mug with hot water.

"How's Maiki?" Her father asked. Aika had called her parents from the hospital, explaining where she was and why she was coming home late.

"She's fine, but she broke her ankle and sprained some other stuff." Aika laughed a little at the recklessness of her best friend, but her laugh felt forced. Her mother placed a steaming mug of hot cocoa in front of her. Hot chocolate was Aika's remedy whenever she was tired or stressed.

Her parents then turned to each other to talk. Aika observed her mother and father. They had recently been spending an increasingly large amount of time together, as if they couldn't get enough of each other. Her father had been coming straight home from work, late only if her mother asked him to pick up something from a store. Come to think of it, Aika hadn't seen Uncle Tidus or Uncle Wakka over for a while. Her mother had also recently stopped calling Aunt Selphie for the day's news and gossip. The only family friend that still made visits was Uncle Riku.

It was cute, the way her father's eyes glistened every time he saw her mother, and the way she laughed at everything, almost literally everything, he did. It was as if she laughed even when he took a breath, showing her happiness to be living by his side. Aika wished she could find someone to laugh for like that.

Aika's thoughts came back to the kitchen when her mother giggled. Aika could never giggle like her mother. That cute, light giggle that sweet girls did. Nope. Aika wasn't like that. She couldn't really even imagine she was anything like her parents. They were carefree and happy. She was attentive and strict. They would think twice before yelling in an argument. Aika had a very short and hot temper and liked to resort to physical punishment for those who provoked her. She sometimes thought she was more like Uncle Riku than her parents. Maybe it was because he would babysit her all the time. He would even show her some fighting moves he used to vanquish her father in duels. She often wondered why Uncle Riku never got married. According to her parents, Uncle Riku used to be quite the hotshot, or "Sex God," so to speak.

Aika drained her cocoa and went to rinse her cup. She said good night to her parents and left the kitchen to prepare for bed.

* * *

Aika was just about to pull her covers over her until her bedroom door opened a crack. Her father popped his head in, grinning. This usually meant he had something wonderful to tell her. Aika propped herself up on one arm.

"Yeah, dad?" she asked, curious about his visit.

"I've got a great story for you tonight, hun," he announced, bobbing his head in the greatest excitement. He looked like a puppy with a huge secret.

"Dad, is it the same story you've been telling me since I was five?"

"No. Well, yes. But I changed up quite a few parts. I really think you should hear it, you know, since you haven't heard it in a while."

"Please, Dad," Aika sighed. "I'm too old for bedtime stories." She turned the other direction and pulled her covers to her neck.

There was a short silence. She could almost hear her father's shoulders droop in disappointment.

"Alright," she heard her father whisper, "good night, Aika, love you."

"'Night, Dad, love you too." The door slowly closed and Aika could hear her father's footsteps travel down the hall and fade away as she drifted into sleep.

* * *

Aika's mind swirled with nighttime thoughts and dreams as she slept. But her usual dreams were crowded with other thoughts. Every now and then, her peaceful slumber was interrupted with unfamiliar sounds. Voices and cries, whispers and yells. She also saw shapes, globular at first, but then forming into blurred shapes of people and animals. Flashes of light slashed through her dreams, and the voices got louder and louder. They rose into screams as dark creatures with long antennae and eerie yellow eyes burst through swirls of endless blackness.

Aika jumped out of her covers, woken by the sound of a yell close by. It took a second for her to realize that the noise belonged to her. Aika never woke screaming from nightmares.

She rubbed her eyes, trying to slow down her breath and heartbeat, shivering from her strange dream. An uncomfortable vibe settled in the room. It was as if the hundreds of voices and people were in the room with her, still haunting Aika even in her waken state. She shook her head and lied back down, willing herself to go back to sleep. But every time she closed her eyes, the creepy dark creature would pop up behind her lids, forcing her to keep them open.

"Just calm down," Aika whispered to herself, still trying to decrease her heart rate. "Think of something else."

_Maybe Maiki will get out of the hospital tomorrow_, she thought, _There's no way she'll let them keep her there another night._ She smiled as she imagined Maiki beating up the doctors in her hospital garments. She felt her eyes droop and her breath slow as she foretold her friend's reaction. She took a deep breath to will herself to sleep again.

* * *

Suddenly, Aika was staring at the ceiling. She sat up, no longer drowsy. It was as if someone had called her name and woken her. She looked at her cell phone, but there weren't any messages. She listened more closely, but her parents weren't calling for her. Aika got up, walked to her window, and looked out, but there was no one below to invite her on a midnight exploration. She looked out and saw a familiar landmark just off the coast of the shoreline.

Aika tore off her pajamas and threw on her favorite sleeveless shirt, leggings, and skirt. She blindly felt around for her socks and shoes, finally finding them tossed near her closet. She tiptoed downstairs, quietly opened her front door, and sprinted into the night.

The chilly air hitting her face gave Aika another rush of adrenaline. She was already feeling giddy when she capriciously ran out of her house in the dead of night, and this extra spurt of frivolity was beginning to make her feel lightheaded.

Aika's blood kept racing as she untied the rope securing the rowboat to the dock and pushed off into the water. Her adrenaline didn't waver as she rowed through the tumbling waves and got slightly wet from the droplets of ocean spray. Her mind laughed at her sudden craziness. There was no way she would normally be willing to paddle out into open ocean in the dark of the night. She was even less likely to do this without the peer pressure of her best friends. But the island was calling, and Aika needed to answer.

* * *

She reached the island's shore and tied the boat to the dock. Aika felt giddy and dizzy again as she splashed onto the beach. There was obviously no one on the shore with her. The bright moon showed no signs of any other people on the island within sight. But the voice was still calling her so she didn't feel alone.

Aika looked around, the giddiness bringing smiles to her faces as she searched for the one who called her. But she couldn't find anyone. She walked further onto the island, toward the waterfall spring. Still no one. She found herself at the entrance to the hideout she'd found earlier that day. Pushing aside the branches, Aika crouched into the dark passage.

She hurried into the hideout. There still wasn't anyone here. But she could feel warmth, as if someone was standing near her. A cold wind blew through the passage, and the warmth instantly flew away. Aika looked to where the wind was blowing. Again she saw the wooden door that wasn't always there. Again she felt the hairs on her neck stand up.

The door wasn't just a rounded piece of wood anymore. There was a large keyhole in the middle of it. Something was wrong. That keyhole wasn't there this afternoon. Aika took off toward the passage and wriggled out as fast as she could.

When she broke through the branches, she found sanctuary in the glow of the moon. But it wasn't for long. Aika saw long tendrils of swirling darkness rise into her vision. She looked out onto the island. There were dark spots all over the ground, the sources of the dark tendrils. Suddenly, one sprouted two feet away from Aika. She screamed and jumped back, searching for a way off the ground. She found a ladder in the branches to her right, hidden that afternoon by the branches also covering the hideout. Ignoring everything she told Maiki earlier, she grabbed onto the rungs and pulled herself up.

Decade-old mold and dust stuck onto Aika's hands as she climbed, but even that didn't distract her from wanting to get as far away from danger as possible. She finally made it to the top and scrambled onto the wooden ledge. Aika kept running. She stayed away from the edge, sprinting up the wooden steps as they took her higher up the tree.

Black tendrils sprouted in front of her. Aika screamed as she dug her heels into the wood to stop from proceeding. She whirled around to run back, but something stopped her. _Things_ were crawling up the steps to her. Dark, creepy _things_ were getting closer and closer to her. Aika didn't know where to run. Forward? Back? Left? Right? The wood beneath Aika groaned. She stopped dead. Before she knew it, Aika was falling, falling from the great height of the tree into the black tendrils waiting to consume her. It became dark and cold, so cold.

_**Don't be afraid.**_

Aika felt warmth in her chest. It brought the blood back to her limbs and stopped the swirling in her head. A blinding white light surrounded her, overtaking everything. Aika opened her eyes in surprise as she felt her toes touch the ground below her. She felt light and weightless. Was she floating? Once her heels touched the ground, her weight came back and she landed. But she felt another weight… She looked at her right hand.

It couldn't be… no, it was possible! It was utterly impossible! Glowing in her right hand was… a Keyblade, the weapon the hero in her father's stories always wielded, the weapon of the Keyblade Master, who would use the Keyblade to vanquish enemies from the darkness and bring peace and light to the worlds. It was supposed to exist only in the stories. Solely in bedtime stories told to five-year-olds!

Aika couldn't believe what she was holding. Obviously, she was dead. There was no way she could have survived that fall. She was dead and that was the only explanation for why she was holding a fictional weapon. Creatures started to grow from the ground. They were the dark creatures from her dreams, the ones with the antennae and the yellow eyes. She back away from them. Death wasn't supposed to have more threats of death. She held up her weapon in defense. The creatures seemed to back away from it, but only for a moment. Okay, if Aika was dead and in heaven, then maybe she could humor God for a bit. She swiped the Keyblade at the creatures, but they melted into the ground and slithered away, only to reappear a little ways away from her. Aika remembered something.

"_They're called Shadows. They're the most common kind of Heartless. While they were nuisances, the Keyblade Master had no fear of them. With a couple hits of the Keyblade, the Keyblade Master would defeat them, sending them away in a puff of smoke and setting their hearts free."_

_So these are Shadows_, Aika thought. They were much uglier in person. She swiped at them again. The Shadows flinched, but didn't back away this time. Aika had yet to make contact with these things. Suddenly, one flew over the others to attack her from above. Aika screamed and swung the Keyblade above her head, socking the Shadow in the head and sending it away in a puff of black smoke. _Okay, so maybe this isn't too bad_, Aika thought again. This was all a dream. This was all some crazy, crazy dream. Maybe if she defeated enough of these "Heartless," she would wake up and everything would be back to normal.

But it was beginning to stop feeling like a dream. Aika could feel every claw that sliced through her skin. She could feel the trickles of sweat that was dripping through her pores the more she fought. Her muscles began to tire and ache as the endless waves of Shadows continued their relentless attacks.

Suddenly, Aika felt something crash into her back and latch on. She screamed and yelled and she flailed her arms around, but failed to dislodge the Shadow on her back. Other Shadows took this opportunity to jump and catch onto her as well. They piled on top of Aika, dragging her down into the cold, black darkness of the ground. _It's over_, she thought. She was going to die like this.

_**Don't be afraid. You are the one who will save us all. **_

It was that voice again. Aika felt the familiar warm sensation spread throughout her body. Something clicked in her mind. This was the voice that called her to the island. This being was with her when she stepped onto the beach. But who was it?

_**Keyblade…Keyblade Master…**_

A bright light shone again, but this time, brighter than the last. Aika felt claws detach from her body as she sank to her knees. She could hear skittering and whirring. The light didn't go away. There were shouts and yelling and gears turning and sounds everywhere. Aika vaguely wondered if anyone else got off the island. She could hear Kory and Maiki laughing and her parents calling her name as she gave into her exhaustion and fell into blackness.

* * *

**Whoo! Longest chapter yet! Hope this isn't too slow for you guys. I'm still recovering from my wisdom tooth removal and my strep throat. hahaha i'm jsut a mess aren't I? And hoo boy, I still have to write my other chapters. Thanks so much to those of you who've read my other stories and have kept up with me so far! It really means a lot to me :) So stay tuned and more stuff will be coming! Please review cuz those are much appreciated :D**


	4. Distressful Morning

Aika had the most terrifying dream.

She dreamed that she watched darkness destroy and swallow her home. She dreamed that the darkness tried attacking and swallowing her too, but not after she had fought back. Aika remembered bright lights and yelling and loud noises in every direction. She remembered falling, falling.

The only respite from her horrible memories in her head was the vague feeling that someone had carried her and placed her into a comfortable chair before zooming away from all the bad things.

The bad things were all gone now, because it was all just a dream, a bad, bad, possibly drug-induced dream. Aika was going to avoid hospitals from now on. Still, something felt wrong, abnormal, unfamiliar. Aika couldn't smell salt in the breeze through her window. Her window wasn't even open, despite her clearly remember having left it open the night before. Her pajamas were soft, too soft, and they didn't smell like her laundry detergent. She opened her eyes. Her room was a lot darker than she remembered. Why hadn't her parents woken her? Why hadn't Maiki burst through her door to do the same? She looked at her bed covers. She didn't remember having these kinds of sheets.

Panic constricted Aika's throat. Where was she? What's going on? Aika noticed a sliver of golden light peeking through a door. She got up, hands outstretched for the knob. Just as she was about to touch it, Aika heard a voice outside the door, a woman's voice, but not her mother's.

"Are you sure there was no one else on the island?" The voice sounded concerned.

"Yes, we're sure," a male voice replied. It was vaguely familiar. "When we got there, everything was gone."

They were talking about her home.

Gone…gone…everything was gone…

Aika backed away from the door and onto her bed. She mechanically pulled the covers over her and sank into the pillow.

* * *

People were running and screaming around her. Shadows popped up from the ground and launched themselves into the air, landing on some unfortunate people. Aika tried and tried, but she couldn't find her parents or friends amidst the chaos. She ran, frantically searching for a familiar face. Suddenly, a creature formed in front of her, clad with a silver helmet and huge claws. It twitched before jumping high above her head. Aika froze with fear, but suddenly, her body took on a mind of its own. Automatically, it summoned the weapon that brought light and warmth to her heart. As the creature stretched out its horrendous claws, her weapon slashed through its middle, reducing it to smoke. Aika jumped back to better survey her surroundings and avoid further attack. Everyone was gone, save for the two people flanking her sides. Aika's peripherals caught a staff and a shield. _About time_, she heard herself think, commenting on their punctuality. These were her companions, her friends in battle. They all took fighting stances as more armored creatures formed before them. Nodding to each other, they ran full force to meet their foes.

* * *

Aika opened her eyes, waking up at the moment of impact. Rays of light peeked through the curtains, filling the room with a soft yellow glow. She sat upright, looking around. Her room was plain, but nicely furnished. There was a bedside table, complete with a small lamp, and a bureau with a mirror. She got up and went to the pitcher and bowl on the bureau, but not before catching her reflection in the mirror.

Man, she looked like hell. There were dark bags under her eyes and her cheeks were sunken. Her eyes looked more like gray than her usual blue-violet. What's worse, her hair was sticking up _everywhere_. There was a door to her right, and a slightly ajar door to her left. Aika decided to try the latter door. She nudged the door open, ready for shadows to pop out and engulf her. None came. She found the light switched and flipped in on. It was a bathroom complete with towels and toiletries. To her surprise, her clothes were neatly folded next to the sink. Taking another look at herself in the mirror in the bathroom and in the one on the bureau, Aika took a towel and began figuring out the shower.

Aika stared at the closed door, furiously wondering what could be on the other side. Sooner or later she'd have to face it. Her stomach growled. Okay, sooner rather than later she'd have to face whatever was on the other side of that door. Sucking in a quick breath, Aika turned the knob and peered down the hallway.

No one was there, but she could hear humming at the very end of it. She tiptoed toward the sound and peeked around the corner. She saw the food-laden table first. There were bacon strips and toast with sticks of butter placed on the side. Jugs of juice were placed next to empty cups. Aika was about to ask her mother who would be joining them for breakfast when –

"Oh, you're awake!"

Aika gasped and looked up at the girl who was clearly not her mother. She had a kind face, but her eyes revealed that she had seen and experienced more than Aika had, though she didn't seem that much older than her. Her brown hair was in a side braid falling over her right shoulder, tied at the end with a pink bow. She wore a sleeveless, knitted gray dress and a belt under her plain pink apron. She placed the steaming hot plate of scrambled eggs onto the table and wiped her forehead.

"You can take whatever you'd like," she announced, gesturing toward the table. "I promised the boys a large breakfast. They stayed up most of the night trying to figure out what happened last night." She looked at Aika. "Max and Stuey will be glad to know you're up and about. They were so nervous when you passed out on the ride here. They thought they did something wrong." She laughed softly after the last part. Aika frowned.

"I passed out?" The girl sat down before contemplating Aika.

"Do you remember anything from last night?"

"Bits and pieces," Aika sighed, looking down. The girl smiled a little, knowingly, and stood up, holding out her hand.

"I'm Marlene." Aika took her hand.

"Aika."

"Pleasure to meet you," Marlene said and Aika replied the same.

"You must be starving," Marlene mused, finding a plate and giving it to Aika. "Help yourself."

Aika was starving, but she wasn't sure where to start, so she just took a seat and surveyed the food in front of her. The fresh scrambled eggs caught her attention. There was even a ketchup bottle next to the steaming plate. Aika loved eggs with ketchup. This was her breakfast, but this wasn't her home. She poured herself a glass of orange juice.

"It's really great to have a Keyblade Master with us," Marlene said, wiping down the stove. Aika choked on her juice.

"I'm sorry," she coughed, wiping her mouth. "What?" Marlene turned around with a slightly confused look.

"Keyblade Master. Max and Stuey saw you fending off the creatures with your Keyblade." Aika put her glass down.

"Oh. Right. Um, yes. I guess." Marlene looked at Aika thoughtfully before turning back to the stove.

This was too much for Aika. She wasn't hungry or thirsty anymore. Her head was swimming with thoughts and emotions and she held her forehead in her hands. Why did this seem so simple to Marlene? How could she take all this so easily? Where was this place? What had happened while she was out cold? Aika started gasping for air. She frantically searched the room for a way out.

She found a brown door and ran for it. It had to lead outside somewhere. Aika yanked down the door handle and her hopes were fulfilled as bright sunlight blinded her. Feeling fresh air and sensing open space, one word popped into her mind.

_Run ._

Aika gladly obeyed. Every step she took stripped another memory from her mind. She ran and ran until her heaving lungs and growing exhaustion were the only things she could think about, and that's how she wanted it.

She had no idea where she was. The ground was uneven and she found herself having to jump over pebbles and stones. She hit one and caught her toes on the ground, bringing her to her knees and skinning everything. Everything was falling apart, literally. Her world was in pieces, her life was in pieces, even her knees were all over the ground. Aika coughed and gasped and tried not to inhale small rocks.

_Why? Why me? Why?_

Aika looked up at her surroundings. It had been a good thing she fell because she was nearly at the edge of a cliff. The rocks all around her were blue and the ground was purple. She coughed again and slowly lifted herself to her feet, wincing at her bleeding knees. She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped around. It was Marlene, panting and still wearing her apron. She had run after Aika.

Marlene released Aika's shoulder and Aika simply turned to the scenery before her. She was still panting, but it wasn't just from the exhaustion of running.

"A long time ago, my dad would tell me stories, stories about a boy with a key who traveled from world to world defeating Heartless and saving the universe. They might as well have been fairy tales…" Tears welled up in her eyes. "I never believed those stories were real. Yet here I am, living in it. It's not possible. It can't be…" And Aika began sobbing.

Marlene put her hand back on Aika's shoulder. "Your father meant well."

"You know what the last thing I said to him was?" Aika didn't wait for an answer. "That I knew his stories weren't real, that I was too old for them. How horrible is that?"

"He never knew things would happen this way."

"And now he's gone. Everyone's gone…" Aika continued to sob and cry as Marlene turned them around and began walking back.

**

* * *

Hey guys, I'm back! Sorry this chapter is a little slow and all. It's about as confused as Aika's brain right now. Anyway I got my tonsils removed so while I'm recovering I hope to write more chapters and get this story going! Thanks to all who are following me with this and my little one shots :D**


	5. Grow Up, Kid

Marlene slowly but surely took Aika back to the house. After watching her alternate between hiccuping and inhaling a total of four full plates of food, Marlene decided to take Aika grocery shopping to ease her mind a bit.

Aika didn't really have an opinion about being handed a large basket in which to carry food, but she thought walking back into sunlight felt much better when walking with a purpose in mind. With her mind blank, body half numb, and stomach full to burst, Aika simply followed Marlene around as she picked out meats and vegetables and placed them in the basket Aika held. When they got back to the house and walked into the kitchen, the girls were met with a disastrous mess.

The dining table chairs were shoved far back from the table and cabinets were left open. Plates were place precariously on the edges of the counters and cups and cutlery lay on every surface of the kitchen. Even the tablecloth seemed to be pulled to one side. The only things that could be mistaken to be clean were the plates. No trace of food was left anywhere in sight. Although she couldn't see it, Aika could swear she could feel the heat of anger radiating off Marlene.

"I had asked them to at least wash everything," she mumbled as she took the basket from Aika and attempted to traverse to a counter. Aika quietly placed all the chairs back in place while Marlene put away the groceries. Aika could hear little angry thunks of cans on counters and slams of cabinets. She made a mental note to keep very clean in this household.

"At least they washed their own dishes," Marlene muttered as she gave the refrigerator door a hard push. "I think it's time to meet the rest of the gang," she said louder to Aika, smiling lightly, but Aika could almost see the twitch at the corner of Marlene's mouth.

Marlene led Aika outside the door in the direction Aika ran earlier, but instead took a turn away from the blue mountains and into an industrialized chasm. The steel walls embedded into the canyon walls threatened to swallow all travelers. She took deep breaths to keep her from running back to the safety of the house.

The canyon finally opened into a large platform beneath a towering building. Aika had little time to look around before Marlene beckoned her down a pathway into the building lodged into the canyon wall.

More and more passageways the girls walked through. Aika began to get dizzy but had to keep Marlene in sight. No good would come out of losing her guide. After what seemed like an eternity, they reached an ornate door. Marlene pushed it open, revealing a quaint study. Aika would have never guessed something so serene to be hidden in the mountain. But Marlene wasn't ready to stop. She headed straight for the opposite wall and placed her palm on it. Aika was about to state the obvious fact that there wasn't a door when a white box flashed around Marlene's hand. Aika's mouth dropped when the entire wall followed suite, flashing a brilliant white before fading away, exposing a new passageway of cold metal.

_What in the world is down here? _Aika thought, rushing after Marlene. When the passageway opened up, Aika seriously wanted to slap herself out of her dream. There was no way a huge arena fitted with weapons and other techno gadgets could have possibly existed inside the mountain. The clank of Marlene's boot on the Plexiglas floor broke Aika out of her shock as she strode into the adjacent room.

Aika had to keep herself from gasping aloud as she jogged into the room. To her right was a giant metal ring about twice her height stationed on its side on a platform against the wall. To her left was a series of computer screens floating as high as the ring above gray tables. Keyboards lined the tables under the large LED screens. In the middle of the technological craziness sat a boy and two other figures, all scrutinizing the central screen.

Aika trotted after Marlene as she headed toward the people at the supercomputer. When the girls approached, the two standing figures turned around and greeted them.

This was a joke right? The two people weren't actually people. They were anthropomorphic animals, specifically a dog and a duck. Aika was sure she was dreaming.

"Marlene," the dog spoke, "it's nice to see you." Well, it spoke great English.

"We thought we wouldn't see you until dinner tonight," the duck quacked. Yes, quacked, but Aika could understand it all. Her head started to swirl at all the Alice in Wonderland things going on. She saw them notice her.

"This is Aika," Marlene said, presenting Aika with a sweep of her arm. Aika managed a small smile.

The first to speak was the dog in the red tunic and blue bottoms, both covered in zippers. "Pleasure to meet you, Aika," he said. "Name's Max, second in command of His Highness's Royal Knights." He brought his right hand up to a salute at his forehead.

"And I'm Stuey," piped the duck, who wore a gold and blue coat and topped with a golden wizard hat, "second Court Wizard at the service of His Highness." He saluted as well. Aika waved shyly at them.

"They're here as Assistant Technicians and Combat Specialists," Marlene inputted, "They're also the ones who brought you here from your island." Aika flushed slightly at the reminder.

"They don't really help me with the machines," the still-sitting boy interjected. "They mostly help me with the theory based on their knowledge from their world." He stood up and turned to face them. He wore a gray unbuttoned shirt with a sandy ribbed tank underneath and dark gray jeans. His icy green eyes stood out in striking contrast to the color of his clothing. His gaze pierced through Aika, chilling her insides.

"That's Denzel," Marlene announced. "He's the Head Technician and Weapons Designer." Aika looked at Marlene. Everyone else was introduced with their official titles, so she was curious about Marlene's title, and she also wanted a reason to not look at the frightening green eyes.

Marlene got the hint. "And that leaves me, the Weapons Specialist." Aika was about to ask what the difference between her role and Denzel's was when Marlene suddenly turned to the three boys.

"You guys have some explaining to do about lunchtime." Her voice was almost too light. Max and Stuey cringed slightly after remembering the state they left the kitchen. Denzel, however, continued to stare at Aika.

"All right, kid," he said abruptly. "Let's see what you got." Max and Stuey snapped their attentions to Denzel, eyes wide, and Marlene looked a little surprised. Denzel walked past Aika to the stairs that led to the large arena below their platform. Aika looked questioningly at Max, Stuey, and Marlene. Faces suddenly stiff and stern, they said nothing and encouraged her to follow Denzel. Unsure of what was to come, Aika tensely headed for the stairs.

Aika made it to the center of the arena, and saw Denzel busy wielding a weapon. It looked like a giant knife. Aika instantly got nervous. _He wants me to fight? _she asked herself.

When Aika was close to Denzel, he whirled around and pointed his blade right at her.

"Come on, kid. Let's go." His eyes were icy and frightening. His mouth was tight and his jaw was set.

"Wha-?" Before she could even finish the word, Denzel was already sprinting toward her, raising his giant knife as he got closer. Aika screamed and just barely dodged Denzel's slash.

"Are you crazy?" she screamed. But Denzel didn't seem to hear. He came running toward her again. Aika rolled out of the way, but Denzel was fast; he was right at her ankles. Aika screamed again and began to sprint as fast as she could toward the stairs. It seemed to work! Denzel was falling farther and farther behind. All of a sudden, a huge fireball zoomed past Aika's head. The sudden appearance and sheer closeness of the heat threw Aika off her feet and she hit the ground with her shoulder.

"Fight me!" Denzel yelled. "Don't run away from me!" Aika gasped for air as she turned an ashen face to Denzel. _Dear god that thing can shoot fire?_ she thought._ Does he seriously want me to fight?_

It only took one look at Denzel's face to answer her question. He was completely serious. Aika's heart was pounding so hard she could feel it about to burst out of her ribcage. She was so scared. She had fought before, but this was much more dangerous and terrifying than clacking with wooden swords. Denzel yelled as he charged toward Aika again. She was frozen on the spot on the ground, unable to breathe or move. Was she going to die here?

_No._

She gasped as a voice in spoke softly in her head. Suddenly, she knew she wasn't going to die because she had exactly the thing to protect herself. She jumped to her feet and begged the voice inside to help her. She felt extremely warm for a split second and SHINK! Aika had to close her eyes from the bright light, but she knew what was in her right hand. As Denzel brought his knife blade down on Aika, she swung her Keyblade up.

CLANG.

With all her strength, Aika held the knife blade hovering just inches above her head. She stared straight into Denzel's eyes, determined to never let that blade touch her. Denzel smirked.

"That's more like it."

Aika swung his blow aside and Denzel jumped back. He charged at Aika again. This time, she dodged and slashed at his back. Denzel blocked her move and flung her back with a strong push. They kept dodging and parrying until Aika had the courage to rush toward Denzel herself. She yelled as she swung her Keyblade at his face, but Denzel was gone. She heard laughter above her and looked up. Denzel was flying _above_ her. She watched him flip and turn in the air before landing softly a few feet away from her.

"How the hell did you do that?" Aika demanded, panting hard. "You can't just jump in the air like that! The physics doesn't work!" Aika stared at Denzel hard, angry and cheated. The arena was rigged, he shouldn't be able to flip and defy gravity if they were somewhere else. He cheated, the fight was over.

Denzel cackled. "Oh," he mused. "So we got ourselves a little scientist here." He disappeared. Aika blinked and started searching for him. But he appeared right in front of her. _Crap,_ she thought; she had let her guard down in her fit of anger. Denzel whacked the Keyblade out of her hand and kicked Aika in the stomach. She flew back and landed hard on her back. Crying in pain yet unable to breathe with the wind knocked out of her, she gritted her teeth and prayed the pain would leave. She coughed and opened her eyes to the tip of a knife in her face.

"You don't live in your world anymore, kid," Denzel spat. "You have to get out of your sheltered little bubble and realize that some things don't always work the way you thought they did. You're in a whole different place now. Each world has its own rules. I suggest you get off your high horse and learn to free yourself from the constraints of your narrow mind. Grow up." With that, Denzel lowered his blade and walked away.


	6. Training and Results

**I LIIIIIVVVEEEE! I shall begin with an apology. I have not been as attentive to this story as I should. Now I shall follow with a disclaimer. I suffer from writer's block at times so writing is very recreational to me. But writing this story and having people read it means so so much to me. I shall now end with a thank you. Thank you to all who have followed with my stories this whole time. Feel free to go back and read the last couple chapters. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Ever since she was picked up off the floor by Marlene, Max, and Stuey, Aika had undergone a series of intense training under Denzel's stern eye.

Her days followed the same routine. Before dawn she would be woken by sharp raps on her door. After dressing she would eat a quiet breakfast with the house. Then dawn came with a lap around the underground arena and sometimes took place outside in the blue gorge Aika ran to before. Aika was never one for endurance, so by midmorning she was already exhausted, but Denzel had just begun. Without breaks he would yell at Aika to do pushups and sit ups and lunges and jumps. He'd make her run again until she coughed for air. Aika had long learned that asking for a break ended in more laps and workouts. Many times Aika limped back to the house with bruises and cuts and her stomach begging for a meal. Once she even came back with tears streaming down her face. Denzel was determined to make her grow up and learn discipline, and he was surely teaching her discipline.

After lunch Aika had one-on-one combat training with Denzel, Max, and Stuey. She and one of them would fight for about two minutes or until one hit the ground in defeat. Most of the time Aika was on the ground before a minute was up. After that, the winner would teach Aika how he won and how Aika should keep from losing that way again. Then he would show Aika tricks and moves in his arsenal. Denzel taught fighting strokes and tactics. Max gave lessons on blocking and parrying. Stuey introduced her to magic, something Aika could never quite grasp.

"Don't fight the ability," Stuey would constantly tell her. "Let it flow naturally." Aika struggled, especially since she could hardly believe she was even able to shoot fire and ice from her Keyblade. To her, magic was far from natural.

Sometimes Marlene would come and show Aika weapon theory, especially how the shape and weight of her Keyblade could benefit her in battle.

Aika would end her days beyond exhausted. The only thing keeping her awake at dinner was her poor stomach growling to no end. They always had dinner together, something Marlene insisted. Light conversation floated over the table, and Aika would try hard to not think about how difficult the day was to keep from crying again. After she would drag her sore body to the shower, where she let her bottled tears freely flow.

Aika could hardly remember what life was like before coming to Radiant Garden and every time she tried sharp pains would attack her chest, threatening more tears. She felt like she had been framed for a crime and thrown into a rehabilitation boot camp. Freedom seemed impossible. Even if she did escape from her camp, there was no place to where she could go back. No home, no island, no family, and no friends. Everything she had was gone. She had to understand now that she was here in this place. The only way to get everything back was to continue through this hell to become stronger and fight back against all that took her past life away.

* * *

After seemingly countless weeks of torment, Aika began to find moments that contrasted the dullness she felt inside.

One day, at breakfast, Stuey was the last to arrive at the table. As he sat down, he breathed a sigh and a minty smell flooded the table. Denzel stiffened and slowly turned to Stuey shoveling food onto his plate.

"You know," he conversed, a dangerous tone behind his words, "last night I had a full tube of unused mint toothpaste. This morning I didn't. It's a shame that someone who insists deeply on being the first to use a tube of toothpaste, such as myself, was not able to do so." Stuey choked and had to leave the table to clear his throat, followed by a worried Marlene. When Stuey was far away at the sink, Denzel reached for the salt and nonchalantly poured most of the contents into Stuey's juice.

Stuey and Marlene returned to a seemingly calm breakfast table. But when Stuey sipped his juice to recover from his coughing, the salty contents choked him again and he coughed even more. Red from coughing and rage, Stuey stomped at Denzel's foot under the table, but Max was the one who flailed in pain. Holding back tears from the hurt, Max looked up from his interrupted breakfast to see Stuey pointing the blame at Denzel. Another thump sounded and Denzel flinched and held his pained cry. The table then began rattling and shaking from the stomping warfare raging under it. The boys finally pushed their chairs back, grabbed fistfuls of food, and stood tall, ready to fire. But before they did, they heard a growl.

"A food fight has happened here before," Marlene warned, not looking up from her food. "It better not happen again." Anger morphed into fear and the boys sat quickly, dropped their food, and finished the meal.

* * *

Another morning, as Aika put her dishes in the sink, she turned around to find Marlene, Max, and Stuey all beaming at her. Confused and slightly scared, Aika gave a short "What?" Marlene, who had her hands behind her back, revealed a small item that she presented to Aika with one hand. It was a plastic card with a silhouette of a castle and the title "Radiant Garden Home Security." Underneath it was Aika's name written neatly. Aika took it and looked at Marlene, Max, and Stuey inquisitively.

"It's a membership card," Marlene started, still beaming.

"We used to be called the 'Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee,'" Max continued. "But the goal for that committee had long been accomplished."

"So we became the 'Radiant Garden Home Security,'" Stuey finished. "To protect and preserve the balance of the place we call home. And you're officially part of it!"

"Denzel wanted to be here," Marlene apologized, "But he's still working on the project. He sends his regards and congratulations."

Aika stared at the three faces smiling at her. They were truly happy to have her around. Not only that, they were eager to take her in as part of their team. A smile crept across her face. Marlene, Max, and Stuey took this as a "thank you" and pulled her into a group hug. Aika could still remember the laughter they shared in the kitchen.

* * *

At the end of those seemingly long weeks, Aika stood at attention before Denzel in the underground arena. She could run 10 laps around the perimeter without tiring. She learned to defy gravity as she flew through the air to dodge attacks. Her muscles were lean and strong as she parried attacks and threw her own. She could even manage a couple Fire and Blizzard spells in battle. That day was a good day; Aika took on Stuey and Max, one right after another, and emerged with only a couple scratches and bruises. Those two were still tending to their own injuries. Denzel clapped Aika shoulder and held it. He looked her in the eye and almost cracked a smile.

"Good work, kid. Debriefing at HQ in 15." He nodded at Aika and left. Aika watched him leave, feeling a little numb. She usually numbed herself for whatever verbal conditioning Denzel threw, but today it seemed unnecessary. Debriefing? She'd never heard Denzel tell her to go to that before. This was hopefully a good sign. Wiping extra sweat off her forehead, Aika eased herself to the stairs to find a bottle of water and get to HQ.

HQ, Aika learned, was the room filled with the computers and metal ring that overlooked the arena. It was so nicknamed because the Security met there frequently for meetings and work. When Aika arrived, she saw Denzel and Marlene viewing the center computer screen, talking quietly, with Max and Stuey flanking them.

Once they heard Aika's footsteps, Denzel beckoned her to the screen, clicking around under Marlene's instructions. Suddenly, on the screen appeared one of the creatures that Aika had seen the night her home was destroyed. She had a strong urge to summon her Keyblade and slice the thing to bits, but she remembered it would break the screen.

"It's time you learned the true purpose of the Radiant Garden Home Security." Denzel stated, turning to face Aika. "Although our first and foremost duty is protecting Radiant Garden, that becomes secondary when we deal with the other issues that affect the entire galaxy. By protecting the greater worlds from creatures such as these, we are also preventing them from reaching our home." Denzel stepped back and closed his eyes, ending his speech. Marlene then stepped forward ready to begin hers. It seemed they had rehearsed this presentation. Aika wondered when Max and Stuey would present.

"You may be familiar with these creatures, Aika," Marlene started. "They are the most prevalent creatures of the darkness. They're called –"

"Heart… less… right?" Aika blurted. Her burst of knowledge shocked her. Memories from long ago began flooding her mind and swirling her thoughts so much that she could barely think.

"That's right." Marlene said, smiling. "They born from –"

"The darkness in people's hearts," Aika recited, surprised that all of this was coming from her mouth. Everyone else looked surprised as well. Aika rarely spoke of anything that wasn't based on scientific fact, save for on the battlefield. Marlene understood that nothing more needed to be said, so clicked to the next slide. A tall, white figure posed on the screen. The creature triggered a description from the back of her mind.

"A nobody," Aika mused. Four pairs of eyebrows raised in shock. Novice Aika knew more than she seemed to know. Marlene held out a hand to encourage her to continue.

"Nobodies are the bodies left behind after Heartless are formed. Since they're just vessels and have no hearts, they don't feel anything. But they remember emotions from their lives as humans, which can greatly affect their actions." Everyone stared. Denzel clicked through the next couple slides, impressed.

"There are three parts to a being," he continued, "The heart, the body, and the soul. As you know, Heartless are born from hearts, and Nobodies are born from bodies. We have found there to be another dark creature born from the soul, called the Inexistent." The slide that he pointed to showed a dark ball of gas with sinister red eyes.

"We and our partners have tried to track and destroy these creatures. Most of the time we succeed, but sometimes we find that we cannot track down the Inexistents we have found. They disappear off the radar and reappear some time later. This inconsistency has caused King Mickey to speculate that they may be tampering with time."

"And the King's speculations are usually spot on," Max added.

Denzel nodded. "So we've been working on a machine that can help us find previously untraceable Inexistents." He pointed to the giant metal ring. "If we succeed, which I'm 96% sure we will, not only will we be able to pinpoint the locations of Inexistents, but we will also be able to travel to where they are and destroy them. That is where we hope you come in, kid."

Aika stared at Denzel. Part of her tried to take in all the new information. Another tried to process the function of the metal ring. She pointed to it. "So that's a time machine?"

Denzel sighed. "It's actually an Organism Spatial Reconfiguration Machine. But if you must, in layman's terms, yes, it can be considered that."

"That's ridiculous," Aika laughed. "Time can't be manipulated by metal and computers. Time travel isn't possible!"

"The Inexistents are doing it as we speak, kid," Denzel returned, no longer impressed. "You can't deny that fact. Information from Disney Castle has also supported the possibility of such travel; not to mention the machine is almost done. So don't argue with me." Aika cut her argument short. It was never a good idea to argue with Denzel. She'd learned the hard way.

Denzel sighed again and spoke. "With that, you now know all the responsibilities of the Radiant Garden Home Security. Do you accept these responsibilities and promise to do your duty by taking on the tasks required of our work?"

All of Aika's training had led to this day. She remembered why she endured it all and why she wanted to become stronger. There was little else to say but "Yes."

"Then welcome, we are glad to have you. Everyone is dismissed." The four members were now five, and all breathed sighs of relief from the long day. They filed out the room, eager to taste Marlene's dinner awaiting them at home. Aika was last to leave. She smiled knowing that the card in her pocket now had the weight of duty and accomplishment.

* * *

**How bout it? Finally getting somewhere right? I hope you guys notice a change in Aika's stubborn personality. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated in regards to my writing style, character development, and plot!**


	7. First Trip

**Yes! My writer's block is OVER. I am writing another chapter after this, woot woot. I spent a lot of time proofreading and editing this, so ****I really wanted to throw this out**! Please review and tell me what you think.

* * *

Denzel wasted no time gathering his team and had given them a grand total of 12 hours to mentally prepare themselves.

He led them to the portal ring. He handed Aika a yellow remote, with a black screen, that fit in the palm of her hand.

"Keep this on you at all times," he said, "This remote periodically sends out signals so we can track you on our radar. The numbers shown on the screen tells you how much time you have before you are automatically pulled back from the trip." He walked over to the controls and started pushing some buttons.

"I'm sending you on a test run."

"Already?" exclaimed Aika. "I thought you said you just finished this."

"I did," Denzel responded, "but I don't know how this machine will treat living beings. You three will test it out." He pointed to Aika, Max, and Stuey. Before Aika could object, Denzel added, "Marlene and I have to stay here to make sure the machine is stable."

This was ridiculous. How can he expect this first "time trip" to work if he hadn't even tested it first? "No way," she said.

Denzel sighed and turned to the controls. He paused to collect himself before speaking. "Time is running out. We need to get this thing up and running today. I know this is sudden, but it's the only chance we have of finding leads to the source of the Inexistents and preventing our enemies from destroying any more worlds."

Aika swallowed whatever words she had left to throw. Everything Denzel said was completely right. She clipped the remote to her skirt and walked up to the ring, followed by Stuey and Max. Denzel pulled a lever and sparks flew and cracked as electricity ran through the ring. A white light filled the center and buzzed with energy.

"Ready?" Denzel called. Aika looked to her right at Stuey, then up to her left at Max. She looked back into the white circle of energy in front of her. Two faces flashed through her mind and her chest ached. Whenever she would go on a crazy adventure, Maiki and Kory were always by her side. Her fists balled in sadness and anger that they were gone. If going through this portal, no matter how dangerous it was, was the first step to finding whoever took them away, she'll do it. Aika nodded her head, signaling she was ready, and stepped into the light.

Even if she screamed, she was pretty sure she couldn't hear it. Colors flashed so brightly they burned through her eyelids. There was pressure coming from all directions and her stomach flipped because it didn't know which way was up or down. Aika was pretty sure she was going to either throw up or die. Then as suddenly as it all started, the colors and pressure disappeared, and she could see ground. Thank goodness for land—

She hit the ground hard, grunting loudly in pain and shock as she heard two other voices doing the same. Everything was spinning and Aika could hear Max panting and Stuey trying not the wretch. They all groaned for a while before sitting up and facing each other.

"That was the worst thing I've ever experienced," Max bemoaned. Aika nodded, rubbing her head, and Stuey tried to keep still, his eyes closed.

"Are we alive?" Aika asked.

Max nodded, ignoring the sarcasm in her voice, and looked around.

"We're in Radiant Garden. Look, that's the house." Sure enough, they landed on the cobbled ground outside the house they lived in. Max stood and Aika helped Stuey get to his feet, since he looked considerably less green.

"Well we should go back to HQ and tell Denzel his machine is useless. It just transported us outside." She started walking toward the bailey, shaking her head and mumbling angrily. Suddenly, they heard someone walking into the open area from the market.

He was a tall man, wearing a white shirt, black pants, and a black jacket. He had a scar across his nose. Aika only heard about him through stories, but she could only guess this to be one person.

"Leon?"

The man stopped and saw the trio. He stared. Aika stared back. Was there something on her face? Why was he looking at her like she was an alien? She tried loosening the tension.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Aika, and these are Max and Stuey." She looked over to the boys as she gestured to them. She noticed that they looked stiff and could feel the tension grow even more as Leon scrutinized them. They were speechless. They didn't even say hello. Just when Aika was about to scold them, Leon humph'd and walked toward the house and opened the door. Just as he was about to walk inside, he stopped and spoke.

"You kids should go home." He walked inside and closed the door behind him. The three stared at the door. Aika snapped out of it first.

"What the heck guys? Why didn't you say hi?"

Max and Stuey looked uncomfortable, exchanging worried looks. Then they looked at her.

"You shouldn't have done that, Aika," said Max.

"Why not? Isn't he your friend? He's coming to visit, right? We should go tell Marlene to set up another place for dinner."

"Aika," continued Stuey, "The time trip was a success."

"What are you guys talking about?" The boys started walking toward her.

"We should do some reconnaissance. We shouldn't waste the time we have here." Max said as he walked up to Aika. He pointed toward the Great Maw.

"Guys, I don't understand. How does meeting Leon prove the machine worked? He lives here with us right?"

Max and Stuey looked at each other. Of course Aika wasn't going to let this go. They gestured for her to follow them as they quickly walked away from the house.

"We know this is the past," started Stuey, "because Leon and the other original members of the Security have been missing in action for the past six months."

Six months.

Six months ago, Leon and his friends met with King Mickey to discuss the new danger called Inexistents. Six months ago, they departed to help King Mickey find the source of the problems. Every couple weeks, they would report back to HQ, but after a couple months, the reports became more sporadic. Slowly, they stopped communicating. No notes, no transmissions, no logs. They simply fell off the radars.

Max and Stuey had met the Security when they visited Radiant Garden after their initiations into their positions at Disney Castle. They then went home to continue their work after formalities and introductions. It wasn't until the team was missing for a month did they relocate to stay with Denzel and Marlene.

It must have been terrible, one week having contact with your team, then the next, nothing. No news of being alive or dead for six months. It must be as bad as losing your entire home and life in one night.

Finding the source of the Inexistents using the time machine was the only way to find Leon and the rest of the Security.

But she had seen him. Aika saw Leon in the flesh, right in front of her. She even exchanged words with him in conversation. It was hard to believe that, in the present time, this man was missing.

The trio ran toward the Great Maw. The landscape and routes were the same for the most part. Nothing lurked around the corners just yet, but the atmosphere was tense, as if something would attack at any moment. They really weren't in Radiant Garden anymore. To prevent herself from overthinking the situation until she freaked out, Aika returned to the mission at hand and checked the remote. 30 minutes, it said. She groaned.

"Guys, what can we do for thirty minutes?"

"I'm not sure," Max mused. "Recon is definitely a good idea, but I don't want to go somewhere we'd accidentally interact with someone from the past."

"I wish you could have warned me about talking to people."

"Sorry, Aika," apologized Stuey. "Honestly, I think Denzel sent us on the trip too early. We're used to interworld protocol since it's a part of our job, but we didn't think to fill you in about all the precautions we usually take."

They then started explaining to Aika the reasons behind keeping a low profile. People weren't supposed to know that other worlds existed, for fear of opening the worlds to future dangers worse than the Inexistents. Don't say your name, and don't let on you're not actually from around.

They continued their reconnaissance back to the bailey and toward HQ. "Hey guys," Stuey said. "Let's test out the remote." Aika unclipped the yellow contraption from her skirt and placed it on a ledge by the staircase. She looked to Stuey, who started to walk away from the remote.

"It's best to see what we have to work with in case of emergencies." They found that the remote would emit a series of high pitched beeps when any one of the three of them got more than several feet away. The remote was even able to detect the general where each person was by selecting a name from the menu.

"I gotta hand it to Denzel, he knows what he's doing," Aika admitted. "I wonder how he got the remote to figure out where each of us is, though." She heard Max grumble something about microchips in the orange juice.

"That was just a joke, Max," Stuey whispered. However, Aika wouldn't put it past Denzel. Although he would do something like that out of care, it was just like him to do it so sneakily it seemed like trickery rather than affection.

Aika reattached the remote back to her skirt when, suddenly, a chill ran down the trio's spines and made their blood run cold. Aika's Keyblade appeared with a flash in her right hand without her consciously summoning it. The three looked at each other before turning around to see a bobbing black gaseous ball disappear around a corner. The silence was heavy.

"That's gotta be it, right?" Aika gulped.

"It has to be," Max agreed, shaking his arms out. "I haven't felt shivers like this since we had to fend off the Heartless and Nobodies at Disney Castle."

"It's now or never," Stuey voiced what they were all thinking. "We can't let them escape to another time."

The three ran to the corner and slammed their backs against the wall, with Aika closest to the front, then Max, and finally Stuey. They nodded to each other before taking a deep breath. Then they jumped out to face their enemy.

It was worse than they thought; it wasn't just one Inexistent. There were tens of them, floating around eerily and menacingly. When they sensed the trio, they turned their red triangular eyes to face them. If they had mouths, they would have borne sinister grins.

Aika's heart was beating so fast she thought it would stop from overuse. How were they supposed to go up against these numbers? As soon as she finished the thought, a majority of them puffed away into thin air, leaving enough behind for Aika to count on her fingers and toes.

The stare down lasted the longest second Aika ever felt. Then the two foes charged. In her head, Aika could only hear training lessons from Denzel and, surprisingly, from her father. _Stay focused. Watch out for your friends. Don't be afraid._

She launched herself in the air above the Inexistent before her. She brought down her Keyblade with a yell. It felt viscous, despite its gaseous form. She could feel it squirm as her blade ran clean through. It was her first real contact hit in battle, and Aika didn't know whether to feel ecstatic or disgusted. She landed and brought her Keyblade up to slice from below. She could hear a faint shriek as the Inexistent dissipated in a puff of smoke.

She turned to another Inexistent flying toward her. She swung her Keyblade from the right, but before she could make contact, it disappeared to reveal Max repositioning his shield from the attack. Aika turned over her left to start running in another direction and ran straight into Stuey. They fell to the ground, luckily tumbling away from the Inexistents swooping down.

Max ran over to them, shield protectively held over his head. "This isn't working out, guys," he yelled. Even though they'd fought together in training, Aika, Max, and Stuey had never actually fought _together_. "We have to work as a team."

Aika and Stuey nodded. They quickly got up and the three of them ran. Aika ran first, Keyblade out. Right before reaching the mass of Inexistents, she ducked and Max jumped over her, knocking down the front half of Inexistents. Aika jumped and swiped down the last half, rolling out of the way as Stuey sent a Thunder spell down upon the smoky mass, obliterating them into thin air.

"That's how it's done!" Max yelled, knocking another Inexistent down as Aika slashed at it and Stuey sent a volley of spells toward another group.

Aika heard a long beep and felt a buzz from the belt of her skirt. She looked down and saw the remote read "00:10:00". "TEN MINUTES," she yelled. Suddenly, an Inexistent crashed into her left shoulder. She screamed and fell to the ground as a sharp pain ran through her shoulder and down her arm. She clutched it and shut her eyes as she saw another Inexistent rush down toward her. Max rushed in front and took the impact with his shield. He looked back at Aika with worry. As soon as the pain had come, it left. Confused, but too engrossed with the heat of battle to care, Aika sat up. "I'm fine," she said. Max was about to protest, but Aika had re-summoned her Keyblade. They heard Stuey quack a warning and Max bent down with his shield above his head. Stuey leaped onto the shield and Max jumped, launching Stuey high above to a group of Inexistents. He conjured a ring of flames around him, sending the Inexistents into hazy smoke. He landed and the trio each attacked an Inexistent, defeating them. The smoke dissipated and they stood panting. The remote beeped again.

00:01:00.

The trio straightened, observing the quiet scene and awaiting the return home. Before they could breathe another breath, an Inexistent popped up and sped toward them. They lunged, Keyblade, shield, and Blizzard spell. As the being puffed into smoke, the trio was pulled into the familiar trauma of time travel.

When the colors and pressures went away, the three were still screaming as they hit the metal floor of HQ. Denzel and Marlene stood in shock at the three coughing and panting on the floor. Aika was reduced to tears, Max got on all fours to try and stabilize himself, and Stuey ran off to a corner, unable to keep anything down anymore.

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**Phew. Review please! Let me know what you thought of the fight scene. I personally really liked it, but I'd love to hear some response! Also, please review with what worlds you'd like to see incorporated into this story. It would help get the ideas flowing. The next chapter will probably be full of character interaction. Hope to get it up sometime this week or the next. Thank you for being patient with me, my dear followers.**

**~ Chucklebunny**


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